Restaurateur Kevin George hopes to make the 20th floor of Founders Tower an Oklahoma City date night destination once again.

George has plans to transform the long-vacant 9,500-square-foot rotating restaurant space into a yet-to-be-named 200-seat steakhouse.

A restaurant industry veteran, George started his career by busing tables in college, eventually working his way up to becoming a partner in Interurban Restaurants.

It's always been his dream to open a restaurant like the one he envisions at the top of Founders Tower.

“I've kind of been working toward this for the past 20 years,” George said.

There's not much to look at now on the 20th floor except the view. The restaurant space is dark and has been gutted. Limited elevator space means that George might even have to hoist some of the larger pieces of equipment up through the windows.

But he sees potential there.

“It's just a beautiful space and it's got the best view in Oklahoma City,” George said.

Although the restaurant's rotating track — powered by 10 motors hidden under the floorboards — is still functional, George said he doesn't plan to use it much.

There's just not enough room on the narrow track for a table large enough to accommodate comfortably four diners at once, he said.

Instead, the new steakhouse plans call for large booths facing the windows to make the most of the space's expansive views, George said.

George plans for the venue to be open for lunch and dinner and also to have a full bar. He also hopes to take to-go orders for Founders Tower condominium residents who inhabit the lower floors of the building at 5900 Mosteller Drive.

MORE FROM NEWSOK

by Brianna Bailey

Business Writer

Brianna Bailey has lived in Idaho, Germany and Southern California, but Oklahoma is her adopted home. She has a bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and has worked at several newspapers in Oklahoma and Southern...